Beedie graduate programs ranked among world’s best for integrating sustainability

Beedie School of Business associate professor Stephanie Bertels is director of the School’s Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability.

The Beedie School of Business has been ranked as one of the top 25 graduate business schools in the world for its dedication to integrating sustainability into the education of future business leaders.

Corporate Knights Magazine ranked Beedie 23rd worldwide and sixth in Canada in their annual Better World MBA Ranking. The unique ranking weights programs on how they prepare graduates to solve business problems that intersect with larger social problems, such as climate change and inequality.

Beedie associate professor Stephanie Bertels credits the School’s long-term commitment to sustainable business education for its high ranking.

“Sustainability was a core course in our MBA program long before it became fashionable,” says Bertels, who is also the Director of Beedie’s Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability. “Every year our students work with a real client, grappling with how to embed sustainability into organizational decision-making – coming up against real constraints along the way. Through hands-on experiences, we train leaders that are ready to tackle the world’s most pressing problems.”

The programs ranked include the top 100 programs on the 2016 Financial Times (FT) Global MBA rankings and other accredited programs (AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS) who choose to participate. Programs are assessed on the number of core courses that incorporate sustainability, including corporate responsibility and ethics, as well as faculty research and institutes dedicated to the practice of sustainable business.

Upon releasing the ranking, Corporate Knights noted that the Better World MBA Ranking often places schools not traditionally recognized on the FT Global 100 MBA Ranking in higher standing. It also found that the top 40 schools on the Better World list offered more than double the exposure to sustainability themes than the FT 100 Global MBA Ranking.

Beyond the classroom, Beedie has a strong Net Impact chapter, which was recently recognized with a Gold standing for leading events and programs that encouraged members to positively impact their community.

Beedie also hosts the SFU Net Impact Sustainability Challenge, an international case competition for graduate students with an interest in sustainable business. Beedie graduates placed third in the 2016 challenge and the competition has proven to be an excellent opportunity for MBA students to meet leading sustainability professionals.

“Our emphasis on real world problem solving challenges our students to envision new ways of working and define new criteria for success,” says Bertel. “We believe that the next generation of leaders needs to contribute meaningfully to the resilience of ecosystems and the betterment of society.”

View the full Better World MBA Ranking at the Corporate Knights website.